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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Chap Copyright No. 

ShelL-XS-lX- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/fiftyyearsofprogOOdunc 



17787 



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, ' » ■ •. . ■ 



COPYRIGHT 1898, 

BY WILLIAM MANN COMPANY, 

Philadelphia. 






Published by William Mann Company. 

Text and Supervision by Harold M. Duncan. 

Art Work by Charles Heergeist. 






CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Introduction, ......... 9-10 

A Bit of History, 11-18 

A Chapter about the Executive Department, . 19-30 

The Making of Copying Papers, 31-36 

A Chapter about the Manufacturing Departments, 37-42 

A Chapter about the Stock Room, .... 43-48 

A Chapter about the Ruling Department, . . 49-54 

A Chapter ' about Blank Book Sewing, . . . 55-60 

A Chapter about Blank Books, .... 61-68 

A Chapter about the Copying Book Department, . 69-74 

A Chapter about the Press Room, 

a Treating upon the Composing Room, . . 75-84 

A Chapter about the Power Department, , . 85-90 



■ ~ ■ ■ :■• - 








William Mann, 

FOUNDER OF THE 

WILLIAM MANN COMPANY 





N offering this volume to those friends and acquaintances of 
the commercial world with whom our relations at intervals 
during the past half-century have been so uninterruptedly 
pleasant, a few prefatory words appear desirable, if not to 
introduce the subject-matter, yet to outline the publishers' inten- 
tion. Too frequently, however, is a preface the mere pretext for 
self-laudation, especially in books of industrial import dealing with 
the history of enterprises which it may be desired to commemorate. 
There is nothing — whether in statement or by implication — that 
we would more earnestly avoid. 

The William Mann Company has completed the first fifty 
years of its existence as a business institution, in the course of 
which, under what is believed to have been a judicious and strictly 
honorable policy, it has developed with steady and progressive steps 
to a plane of commercial activity the horizon of which is relatively 
as great as the foundations of the business are secure. Just as in 
Nature, the slowest processes are those which culminate in greatest 
energy ; so in the domain of Trade — the solidity of results requires 



time in which to eventuate. As a proper tribute to the sagacity, 
courage and integrity of its revered founder — who died during 
18S1 — and as a memorial to the willing hands that assumed the 
duties he laid down, we have conceived the formation of a book, 
wherein the handicraft of the artist should supplement description 
of our establishment and the plain data of commercial achievement 
be enlivened by the skill of the photographer and the best possi- 
ble results of typography and the allied arts. The text is more 
than a citation of bare facts ; it is a portraiture of living processes, 
indexing the improvements of a half-century of experiment and 
liberal enterprise. During this time, facilities have exactly par- 
alleled Invention : as machinery, appliances or processes have 
appeared, aimed at the simplification and consequent cheapening of 
production, no labor or expense have been spared to add them to 
the equipment of a plant, which is thrown open to the reader as 
among the completest in the world, in any department of Industry. 
It is with the cordial wish that the reader may participate, in 
some degree, in the pleasure experienced by the publishers in the 
issuance of this volume, that we solicit for the following pages his 
friendly perusal. 

WILLIAM MANN COMPANY. 



OQQQQ QQO 0X11100 O O O O Q O O Q, 




HEN the historian begins to construct a story 
out of the fragments of the Past, — a story 
which must be coherent and truthful — two 
rules must govern his procedure : he must 
both regard the persons whose actions form 
the materials for his history, and the results 
which those actions superinduced. No matter 
what the sphere of life he chronicles — political, religious or indus- 
trial — neither of these elements can be safely disregarded. The 
manner of man one is will determine the nature of the acts one 
does. Conversely, the character of one's acts is a pretty safe 
criterion for judging the native tendencies of the man. The true 
secret of the causes ending in success or failure need not be traced 
much farther back than the individual. " 

The events of an epoch will always be found to revolve around 
one or more prominent personages, from whom go forth the influ- 
ences that mould and shape the spirit of the times into an image 
of their own idea. In analogous manner, in the business world, 
the beginning of institutions lies with the man or men whose 
thought, energy and will gave them birth ; so, also, is it with the 
influences which foster the growth of such institutions, carry them 
upwards to success, and ensure their perpetuity. Within the seed 
lie all the processes which culminate in the monarch of the forest ; 
within the idea lie concealed all the subsequent possibilities. The 
seed may come to naught because of poor conditions ; so may the 



idea fail of expression because of poor soil. But when the thought 
of a great business starts, only the beginning is aimed at. Rarely 
is the magnitude of the end foreseen. Others generally carry to- 
wards perfection what is thus conceived : origin, development and 
consummation continue as long as a business continues. Hence, 
the plan of this historical and descriptive sketch is at once before 
us, having to do with the founder first, then with his successors, 
and finally with the present facts of the business. Accordingly, 
justifying the introduction of the personal element, I will ask the 
reader to attend with me to facts in the career of William Maun. 
William Mann, founder of the business now bearing his name, 
was born in Philadelphia, June 14th, 1814, and spent such early 
years as were proper to an apprenticeship upon a farm near 
Haddonfield, N. J. Wearied with agriculture, which could never 
have contained the dominating energy of his character or have 
given the latter its legitimate expansion, he abandoned that pur- 
suit to learn the trade of a house carpenter. This he acquired at 
Haddonfield, when eighteen years old. Several years were spent 
in the avocation, during which he married. Subsequently, he went 
to Washington, D. C, and entered some of the Departments of the 
United States Government, in one of which, notably the Auditor's 
Office, he assisted to compute the Census then under process of 
formulation. Work upon the Census was followed by a return to 
his prior trade of house builder, in which he engaged until the 
Fall of 1848. In the interim, however, a natural inventiveness 
began to exhibit itself, the first results of which was the useful 
appliance known as " Mann's Patent Movable Binders " for filing 
letters. A confidence in the efficiency of the idea, which was both 
simple and ingenious, induced Mr. Mann to come to Philadelphia 
at this time for the purpose of introducing the specialty. His two 
oldest sons accompanied him. The primitive business methods of 
those times have not yet passed beyond the recollection of a good 
manj' people, who cannot but dwell pleasantly upon the earnest 
simplicity of Commerce, so strongly contrasting with latter-day 



competition. Those were days of sturdy effort. Mr. Mann partici- 
pated in their spirit, canvassing from door to door with his Binder. 
Six months had not passed before sufficient headway had been 
made to rent a small wareroom at No. 74 (old number) North 
Fourth Street, a portion of which was occupied as a dwelling and 
the remaining apartments for manufacturing purposes. Out of this 
beginning, modest and unpretentious as it was, the present busi- 
ness has developed. Eventually, a small stationery store was 
established in the location thus selected, and through a vigorous 
personal canvass, constantly maintained throughout the business 
and residence sections of the city, a good trade in binders and 
kindred articles was developed. 

A few years at the Fourth Street wareroom exhausted the 
resources of the building, which did not admit of facilities in 
accord with the expanding volume of trade steadily flowing in. 
Mr, Mann then removed to the second floor of No. 25 South Sixth 
Street, having in the meantime increased his canvassing facilities 
by the addition of a horse and wagon. In Sixth Street he 
invented what is known the world over as " Mann's Parchment 
Copying Paper," a product possessed of certain properties obtained 
in mixing the stock and in treating it, which lend themselves to 
letter-copying where permanency and legibility are specially re- 
quired. The reproduction of an old advertisement — a circular 
issued about this time by Mr. Mann, and which is in the pos- 
session of the William Mann Company, — will illustrate the nature 
of the specialties then handled, as well as the encouragement 
extended to Mr. Mann by the consumers. It is an interesting 
glance backwards to a time when copying books with numbered 
pages were first introduced, and the copying press began to make 
inroads upon the old methods of preserving a duplicate of records. 

The Sixth Street establishment becoming in its turn restricted, 
a removal to more commodious quarters on the Northeast corner of 
Third and Chestnut Streets was made, only to be followed a little 
time after by the rental of Drexel's old Banking building, at No. 



MAUI'S 

ESTABLISHMENT, 

25 South Sixth Street, above Chestnut, 
PHILADELPHIA. 

In November, 1849, the undersigned opened an Establishment for 
the sale of the Best and Cheapest Presses and Appurtenances used in 
COPYING LETTERS— where have been sold over 1,000 Presses, 
20,000 Copying-Books, 3,000 Dampeners, and 15,000 Letter-Binders. 

Our efforts have been appreciated, and the encouragement received 
has led to the selection of a more central location, where Merchants 
and others are invited to call and examine — where may be had our 

PATENT DOUBLE-LEVER 

&BUU11B WOM IP IE 13 3, 

Some of its peculiarities are, that it does not require fastening 
down ; pressure obtained with more ease and much quicker than by 
other methods ; not so liable to get out of order or break. 

PATENT METALLIC DAMPENER, 

Superseding the use of the brush, wet cloth, and blotting-paper. 
With it a perfect copy may always be secured. fpigg* Can be used with 
any Press. 

Parchment Paper, (Patent applied for.) 
Letter Copying Boohs, with Pages Printed, 

Bound with Leather backs, Cloth sides, and sewed on Parchment. 
BEST QUALITY COPYING INK ALWAYS ON HAND. 

PATENT MOVABLE BINDER, 

A most valuable invention (and one that should be found in every 
oounting-room), for keeping in a book-like form, letters, original in- 
voices, musio, newspapers, or any papers where easy and ready 
referenoe is desirable. 

WM. MANN, 

25 South Sixth Street, above Chestnut, Philadelphia. 



FAC-SlMILE OF AN OLD ADVERTISEMENT. 



48 South Third Street, and the installation of the plant therein. 
A completely stocked Stationery and Blank-Book establishment 
was here begun, trade still farther expanding to enforce another 
removal to No. 43 South Fourth Street, where the business con- 
tinued for several years — up until 1873. During this year Mr. 
Mann purchased the large five-story building, No. 529 Market 
Street, which is now occupied by the Executive and Retail Depart- 
ments of the William Mann Company. 

The career of William Mann, up to the time designated, had 
been an exemplification of incessant enterprise. He had been the 
first to make a copying paper in this country, and thus to lay the 
foundations of a trade in this article which transcended his greatest 
expectations. He had participated in the invention of several 
special articles of usefulness in the Stationery field, which added 
to the fruits of his labors, and had upreared his business on lines 
reflecting his own integrity of purpose and unswerving determina- 
tion to succeed. It must not be supposed that the business life 
of William Mann was devoid of financial struggle. While at No. 
529 Market Street there were vicissitudes of no inferior magnitude ; 
the panic caused by the failure of Jay Cook involving Mr. Mann's 
business with that of many others in the upheaval. The new 
building had been purchased ; it had been refitted and equipped 
with machinery of improved pattern, and heavy running expenses 
augmented the difficult task of financing the establishment in times 
when all were retrenching their funds in circulation. Nevertheless, 
rejecting a suggestion then made that he assign and pay fifty 
cents on the dollar, he fought through the uncertainty and came 
out with a clean balance sheet. 

In September, 1881, William Mann died, aged 67 years. It 
was a request embodied in his Will that his sons, properly the 
ones to carry on the business, should unite and form a Company, 
which was done in April, 1888 — the name of the corporation being 
the William Mann Company. 

In his business life, William Mann was a persistent resolute 



and energetic worker, possessing strong executive powers, keeping 
his hand steadily upon the helm of his business, and strictly 
conscientious in his dealings with debtor and creditor alike. Keenly 
alive to the possibilities of every new avenue opened in the natural 
ramifications of Trade, he passed over the pitfalls into which 
unrestricted progressiveness is so frequently led and was enabled 
to focus his energies in directions where fruition was certain. If a 
pen picture could accurately delineate his business characteristics, 
such might be given in these words : A progressive spirit, ruled 
by more than ordinary intelligence and good judgment ; a deep 
earnestness impelled and fostered by indomitable perseverence ; a 
native justice expressing itself in correct principle and practice. 

Personally, William Mann was characterized by strong relig- 
ious convictions and moral courage. With but little opportunities 
for liberal culture, he attained an insight and familiarity with the 
world of literature and thought possessed by few not given by 
profession to scholastic pursuits. He was broad in his sympathies, 
libei - al in his charities, a loving husband and a tender father. 
Such, in brief, are the impressions made by his life upon the 
hearts of those who knew him well. 

The demise of William Mann, followed by the formation of the 
Company which he advised, did not, as is so frequently the case, 
retard the development of the business which he had inaugurated 
and fostered so successfully. On the contrary, his successors had 
been long familiar with the methods to be pursued in accomplish- 
ing the unfoldment of its possibilities. The volume of trade kept 
on swelling until the channels through which it flowed necessitated 
still farther enlargement. In the Fall of 1893 contracts were 
issued for the erection of a large manufacturing building at the 
corner of Fifth and Commerce Streets, Philadelphia, wherein all 
departments of production, in the specialties conserved, might be 
centralized. The planning of the structure, which contains eight 
stories and a basement, was entrusted to Mr. Thos. P. Lonsdale, 
a well-known architect, with instructions to build a thoroughly 



up-to-date factory, having perfect facilities for the comfort and 
convenience of those employed, as well as abundant floor space for 
the equipment demanded by the varieties of work to be clone. 
The edifice was finished and occupied during the Fall of 1894, and 
numerous exterior and interior views are elsewhere presented to 
afford a more comprehensive conception of existing manufacturing 
facilities than could be given by mere description. Here are 
carried on all classes of blank-book making ; the manipulation of 
various special grades of copying paper into books of all sizes, for 
the use of firms, railroads, etc. ; printing, both as to composition 
and presswork ; lithographing and embossing. 

William Mann was the inventor of a process of making copy- 
ing paper, having characteristics which brought it into immediate 
prominence. This latter has been augmented by the growing 
reputation of the makers and by their introduction of all grades 
demanded in the uses of commerce. Around the original brand of 
" Parchment Copying Paper," have grown other styles of copying 
paper, known as " Mann's White Linen," " American Glazed," 
"Mercantile," "Manilla," and "American Railroad," the last of 
which is used by all the principal railroad companies of the country. 

In 1SS2, the year following the death of William Mann, it 
became necessary to start a paper mill for the manufacture of 
copying papers. A property at Lambertville, used for other mill 
purposes, was purchased and the building enlarged and equipped 
for the specific manufactures contemplated. 

It will thus be seen that the facilities offered by a consecutive 
chain of processes, carried on from beginning to end of produc- 
tions specialized by the William Mann Company, readily lend 
themselves to the highest excellence, the utmost economy and the 
most certain uniformity. It is modestly believed that such will be 
better apparent from an illustration of the methods, and with a 
few words this section can be brought to a close. 

The commercial institution, known as the William Mann 
Company, was germinant with the honorable man whose name it 



bears. The manner of man he was is shown in the magnitude of 
the present enterprise, while the conduct of the. latter, as to policy 
and methods, reflect his motives. Those who have assumed the 
reins of control have sought to interpret and adapt what they 
believe to be the soundest and truest business principles to the 
constant and rapid progression which is necessitated by the upward 
march of Industry, in lines of experiment, discovery and inven- 
tion. The influences of the epoch are incessantly inventive and 
improving. Production is correspondingly simplified and facilitated. 
Primarily in the interests of the consumer, the results are equally 
essential to the producer, and an intelligent and iconoclastic admin- 
istration is daily being more demanded. It was to his anticipation 
of this truth that the rapid development of William Mann's busi- 
ness must be ascribed, — a truth which constitutes the aims and 
practice of those who now comprise the William Mann Company. 



*mm 



iOOOOC-OOOO'- 



A CHAPTER, ABOUT THE 
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT 







NB of the essentials to proper administration 
in any enterprise, the extent of which pre- 
cludes the individual supervision of details, 
is a system by which each function and 
process is separated and yet unified. A 
business organism is analogous to a human body, each organ 
of which performs its own work independent of, yet controlled 
by, the vital processes. As it is with the human body so it is 
with the body corporate. It is in the perfect regularity and 
co-ordination of the functions that the health and harmony of the 
results are to be sought. 

The entire business of the William Mann Company is adminis- 
tered from its main oifices in the five-story building, No. 529 Market 
Street, Philadelphia, where are located the various departments con- 
nected with the directorate. The executive heads of the firm, who 
assume a complete general management, are Joseph H. Mann, 
president, and Charles H. Mann, vice-president. The details of the 
business are systematized in departmental form, each department 
having certain specific duties to perform, under the supervision of 
one or more employes rendered expert by experience and capacity. 
Mails are received from the Post-Office twice daily, and the 
letters comprising them are opened and distributed to the respec- 
tive departments by the secretary of the company, William A. 



Stewart, whose association with the firm dates from his boyhood, 
or since 1S63. It is a rule of the company's, based upon the 
governing principle of its founder, William Mann, that every letter 
or inquiry received shall be answered, if possible, before the close 
of the same day. " Promptness and One Price " was a business 
precept closely followed by William Mann, and constitutes the 
dominating principle of the present management. 

The Accounting Department, a view of which is given as a 
text-illustration, is supervised by John B. Buzby, treasurer of the 
company. This department, standing in a measure by itself in every 
business, includes the control of collections and the liquidation of 

accounts, in itself an 
arduous and voluminous 
function. The ramifica- 
tions of the business, 
extending far beyond the 
boundaries of the United 
States and Canada into 
foreign countries, — with 
which a growing trade 
is maintained, — render 
the number of accounts 
very large. 

The influx of business naturally divides into groups or classes, 
each reqtiiring different treatment, particularly where manufactur- 
ing as well as retailing are involved. All orders received by the 
William Mann Company relating to goods to be manufactured 
expressly for the customer are referred to the Order Department, 
where they are entered, with full description of details, each order 
being designated by a number throughout the entire process of 
production. It thus becomes easy to ascertain the precise stage of 
completion which may have been attained by the order, and to 
trace to its proper source any deviation from original instructions 
given at the time of its filing. Two advantages are hence obtained: 




the accurate filling of orders as they are given out, and the read}' 
repetition of an order if it may subsequently require duplication. 
A partial view of this department accompanies the text. 

Another group of letters, outside of orders, relates to inquiries 
as to cost of goods, specially made up, etc., and these receive 
attention by the Estimating Department. Cost of production is 
the most important element in successful manufacturing, and has 
been said to underlie the entire field of industrial activity. It is a 
fore-knowledge of what ma} 1 arise in producing goods before they 
enter upon the actual processes involved. By its intelligent appli- 
cation, within a certain margin allowed for contingencies, the 
empirical is superseded by the exact knowledge, and a definite 
standard of excellence in materials is possible, which would be 
otherwise threatened if at some late stage of the operation it was 
discovered that the sum charged was inadequate to the cost of 
manufacture. In conformity with this arbitrary law, a department 
becomes necessary wherein practically informed men shall compute, 
from fixed quantities, the permissible price at which an order can 
be filled. In the department indicated no guess-work is allowed ; 
there must be an accurate knowledge of what every stage in 
manufacture will cost within narrow margins of time and materials. 
Orders for goods from stock are referred to the Sales Depart- 
ment, in which an efficient corps of salesmen are invested with 
the requisite authority. Completeness and 
quantity of stock being imperative where so 

much of a business is 
done in manufacturing; 
to order, this department 
is maintained upon a 
scale the largest and 
most extensive. It is 
probable that the largest 
and most complete stock 
of blank-books and sta- 







tionery for commercial purposes in the United States is kept here. 
The extent of the department can be approximated mentally, from 
the view taken at the front of the building, just inside the doors 
opening upon Market Street. It occupies the entire ground floor, 
part of the basement and a section of the second floor in the building 
at No. 529 Market Street, a view of which is shown in connection 
with the New York store of the company. 

The remaining part of the basement in the Philadelphia 
building, which has a frontage of 24 feet and a depth of 200 feet, 
contains a modern steam plant, for heating purposes, and an 
electrical plant for lighting the building. An ascent to the second 
floor reaches the executive offices of the company, in the front 
being the offices of the president and vice-president, as illusti'ated, 
opening into a reception apartment, back of which, at one side, is 
the Order Department, and, at the other side, is the Accounting 
Department. Still further back is the continuation of the Sales 
Department. The three remaining floors of the building are 
utilized for the storage of goods. 

Descending to the Sales Department, to its rear, is an import- 
ant branch of the business. It is portrayed in the chapter-ending 
as the Neostyle Department, where are kept a stock of Duplicating 
Machines, upon which the company owns a number of patents. 
The usefulness of mechanical appliances for duplicating manuscript 
and for taking copies of an original writing is daily receiving 
greater recognition. The well-equipped business office employs one 
or more of the various devices in this field, whether " Neostyle," 
" Mimeograph," " Cyclostyle," " Diagraph " or others, not alone for 
convenience but for advertising purposes. The advantages of a 
personal appeal accompany a circular-letter thus printed, ensuring 
perusal, whereas printed matter is hurriedly glanced over or care- 
lessly tossed by. There is no province of commercial activity, 
professional work or literary effort — where duplicates are needed — 
into which some one or another of these appliances have not found 
their way. With the machines have come supplies adapted to 



O O O QQQQOfrQO 




OQOQ'flQQC'QC'Qg 



# O tt o 



ensure the best results. All such are kept here, the aim being to 
add every specialty which will aid the operative in getting out the 
greatest amount of work in the shortest time and at the lowest cost. 
With the introduction of the type-writer has arisen a whole legion 
of ingenious auxiliaries for making copies, either carbon or letter- 
press, and it is now possible to produce forty copies of the original 
writing, without further labor than the one ke3*-board operation. 

As it is here, so it is else- 
where; for the rapidity 
with which one method 
supersedes another is one 
of the marvels of modern 
Industry. 





THE MAKING OF COPYING PAPERS 




in 



g paper<j 



Turing fifty 

manufacture 
the busines^ 
Company h 
directions — 
blank-books 
to be subsequent!}' 



years of uninterrupted activity in 

g and selling differenjt specialties, 

operated by the William Mann 

as especially expanded in two 

making of 
[the other the production of copy- 
manipulated and comterted in its 



factory inro copying books for every conceivable purpose. In the 
blank-book line, all processes but one — that of making the paper 
used in the books — are carried on, and in one establishment, under 
one superintendence. In the manufacture of copying books, in 



which the paper itself must have certain specific properties, the 
impartation of which is a matter of knowledge confined to the 
establishment where it is made, it becomes necessary both to bind 
the books and make the paper, as well. Accordingly, the William 
Mann Company operates its own mills, which have already been 
mentioned as located at Lambertville, N. J. Desiring to begin at 
the first process, prior to carrying the reader through the living 
chain of processes embodied in the leading specialties of this firm, 




the writer requests attention to what is one of the most interest- 
ing stages in the evolution of a copying book. Paper-making is 
to-day becoming more and more precise, and a knowledge of 
materials and the requisite combination of stock to effect the given 
results has placed it within the power of the scientific paper- maker 
to bring forth pretty much everything that is desired. There are 
still some secrets, however, which are retained as the private 
property of persons or firms, and these constitute the specialties 



f 



i: tai 
^, Beating 




which generally win a 
rich harvest for their 
possessors as the legiti- 
mate fruitage of their 
experiment and enter- 
prise. The making of 
copying papers, like that 
of other grades of paper 
manufactures, is not a secret, so far as pro- 
cesses are concerned ; it is in the materials 
employed and the mixture of the stock that 
the success or failure of the results are founded. Up to a certain 
point, paper-making is all alike, however diverse may be the treat- 
ments ; beyond that point the skill and experience of the workmen 
are the factors which ensure desired ends. 

The raw material is brought to the mill and elevated to 
storage lofts, in which it is contained. The chapter-heading illus- 
trates stock being fed into a cutting machine, which converts it 
with astonishing rapidity into a mass of finely comminuted hemp, 
etc. This process is executed on the third floor. The machine is 
driven by power, and the speed of conversion is only limited by 
the quantity that can be fed by the operative into the capacious 
maw of the iron monster. Being cut, the material is ready for its 
second process, which is that of dusting. Accordingly, the mass 
of cut stock is first passed through a machine known as a 
" duster," which, by means of a current of air, blows away the 
looser particles of dust ; it is then sent through by a chute to the 
rotary boilers, on the floor below, partly seen in the illustration. 
Here, by using chemicals, the stock is boiled for a number of 
hours until the fibres have been brought to a proper condition. 
The liquor is run off and the stuff taken away to other machines, 
called " washers," where it is treated in pure water to remove the 
chemicals, which would injure the fibres if allowed to remain, and 
to still further purify the mass while pulping it. These machines 



are nothing but large vats, in which, by means of revolving rolls, 
etc., the "stuff" is caused to effect a continuous circulation in the 
receptacle, so as to present every part of the material to the 
cleansing action of the water which has been introduced. When 
the final washing has been completed the pulp is ready for bleach- 
ing, after which a large stock pump carries it to the drainers, 
whei - e for several days a further process of bleaching is continued. 
Experience and great care is required in reducing stock to half- 
stuff. Next we introduce the pulp into the beating engines. The 
man in charge of this department understands that the quality of 
the paper depends greatly upon his knowledge of his business and 
the cleanliness of his surroundings. After a careful preparation of 
the stuff in the beating engines it 
goes to the stuff chests, from whence 
it is taken to one of the paper 
machines. This complicated and 
wonderful piece of machinery re- 
ceives the pulp in a diluted state, 
and with surprising skill and quick- 
ness is arranged a uniform silken 
web, thus gradually solidified, 
passing endlessly over rolls which 
compress the fibres and practically 
amalgamate the pulp ; the web is then fed through rolls which 
are heated from the inside by steam, and these " dryers " accom- 
plish the balance of the process. The web passes on beneath a 
rotary cutter attachment, set to take off even intervals of the web 
according to the speed of its travel, and girls receive the sheets 
and complete the operation. 

The process is not complete with the functions thus described, 
however ; there are later and very important elements to be still 
observed. No care can absolutely obviate the chance presence of 
imperfect sheets, or those in which irregularities prevent their 
utilization. The utmost care is employed in the "Old Reliable" 




One of the 
pAPEi\ Machine^ 



mill to secure uniformity and unvarying excellence of output. In 
the remaining department of the mill, shown in the terminal view, 
a goodly force is kept constantly employed in sorting, counting 
and assembling the finished papers. The rapidity with which one 
of these operators can run, with fingers as nimble as their eyes 
are keen, through a pile of papers from the machine, thus verify- 
ing the prodrict as it comes from the girls sitting at the delivery 
end thereof, is very astonishing to one unused to such dexterity. 
The care that is exercised to prevent any imperfect sheets from 
being packed is the most conspicuous feature of the management, 
and the system adopted has proved efficient in every possible way. 
When counted, assorted and packed, shipment is made, thus com- 
pleting the operation. 

Ever}' grade of copying paper, of which the William Mann 
Company makes a specialty, is produced at this mill, the equipment 
of which, both as to machinery and facilities, has been carefully 
adapted to the character of the work to be performed. The system 
observed in the manufacture is identical with that observed in the 
manufacturing departments of the Philadelphia establishment ; a 
regular and progressive direction is given each order all the way 
through the operations. The stock is received 
into the top floors, and passes down in defi- 
nite consecution to floor after floor, until it 
emanates a completed 
product from the ship- 
ping department on the 
ground floor. The hand- 
ling is thus minimized, 
economy is conserved, 
and expedition greatly 
augmented. The facili- 
ties of the machines em- 
ployed in this mill is 
about 1,000,000 pounds 




of paper yearly. This flows out in the various channels of trade 
to home and . foreign consumption, affording us a partial idea of 
branch of jLh& business. The methods of subsequent manipu- 
r-— — i — — , lation will greet us in the Manufacturing 

Departments, with which we shall n 
concern ourselves. * 





|ANUFACTURING, as carried on at the present 
time, is synonymous with vastly more than was 
included in the term a few years back. Then a 
few simple machines and appliances sufficed to 
perform what the handicraftsman felt lay outside 
his immediate province of work. Such is no longer the situation. 
There has been a mighty influx of new ideas, in the way of 
machinery, devices and processes of production, — all tending in the 
direction of high-grade, automatic operation, — which has been slowly 
but surely effecting a change in methods as well as means. The 
latter, however, have been the first to feel the revolution and to 
respond to the influences. Machinery now aims at performing as 
much of the entire task as was formerly accomplished by several 
men, and the greater the number of functions embodied in the 
machine the more complete is it considered. In some of these 
products of inventive genius, the end is worked towards with an 



intelligence that is almost beyond the human, both simple and 
complex operations being carried out with equal excellence to 
handiwork, and with far greater regularity, dispatch and economy. 

The influences generated by approved appliances is nowhere 
more palpably manifest than in the making of blank-books and in 
the kindred departments incorporated in the manufactures of the 
William Mann Company. In the new factory building, where have 
recently been installed the producing departments of the business, 
every result of human ingenuity, whether in the way of machinery 
or processes, is present. The very latest devices are looked for by 
the experienced superintendent, Robert G. Lucas, who has but to 
make plain their utility and desirability in order to obtain them. 
Whatever will facilitate output, or will elevate the standards of 
production, is added to the plant, which embodies a completeness 
and modernty wherein the officers of the company take a just 
pride. 

The factory building is situated on the Northeast corner of 
Fifth and Commerce Streets, and is a large eight-story and base- 
ment structure, built of brick, with rich terra-cotta trimmings, 
ornately designed and tastefully applied. Bach floor comprises 
6000 square feet of space, thus affording, in the entire building, 
an area of 54,000 square feet 
which is all occupied with the 
processes of manufacturing, 
the storage and shipments of 
raw material and made-up 
goods, and the complete 
power and electric lighting 
plant with which the estab- 
lishment is equipped. The 
style of the building is the 
Spanish renaissance, that odd 
but pleasing and substantial 
revival of architectural art 









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which characterized a nation of mariners. In consequence, the 
decorative motifs of the building, shown in its details and trim- 
mings, comprise the mermaids, sea-weed and shell details, which 
are wrought into schemes of ornamentation that are both graceful 
and appropriate to the commercial uses of the structure. 

The building has three of its sides open, and through a num- 
ber of expansive windows generous quantities of light and air are 
admitted to the workrooms. In every instance the safety and 
comfort of employes have been matters for careful consideration. 
Escape in event of fire has been absolutely ensured. Inside the 
building is a staircase for the workmen, having iron walls, slate 
floors, and shut off from the rooms by tin-covered doors, always 
closed. The structure is what is known as a slow-burning edifice, 
and as near fire-proof as practicable. In addition to such inherent 
safeguards, however, a completely enclosed and independent fire- 
proof stairway is provided (seen in the view of the building to the 
left). This escape can only be entered from the outside of each 
floor, through a door opening onto an ornate iron balcony, which 
extends across and in front of a window, permitting easy egress 
from the workrooms. An automatic sprinkler service is also pro- 
vided, effecting pneumatic connection by flow of the water with the 
Philadelphia Fire Department and Insurance Patrol. Such precau- 
tions as a hose of large diameter and fire buckets are located on 
each floor. 

For a proper supply of water to the sprinkler system and fire 
hose two large tanks are provided at an elevation above the roof, 
which contain ten thousand gallons each, — quite a sufficient 
amount of water to extinguish any ordinary fire — and should fire 
occur during working hours the supply of water can be fully 
kept up by the two large steam pumps in basement, which are 
connected directly with the tanks. A large tank is also located 
on the roof for supplying the building with water for ordinary 
purposes. 



The order, coming as we have previously seen, from the Order 
Department in the Executive Offices, enter the factory office, and 
are individually recorded by their respective numbers. This record 
is progressively associated with each other all the way through its 
course of manufacture, the data connected with each stage being 
attached to it. If inquiry is made before its completion, the job can 
be immediately located, the superintendent communicated with by a 
private telephone service, and the condition of the work ascertained 
without delay. Between the main offices, at 529 Market Street, 
and each manufacturing 
department is a very 
complete system of tele- 
phones. The orders hav- 
ing entered the factory, 
the reader is invited to ac- 
company us in a general 
visit to the respective 
departments wherein 
they are executed. 








END OF 
CHAPTER 



^ 



<&* 









ABOUT THE STOCK ROOM 



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^sflenrands not oijMV. that facilities^ shall be. of the 
ratest^and the^egtjrmt that every outlay, for mate- 

The 




x rrals or supplies be made at first hands, 
more complex the channels of trade through which 
raw material has to pass ere it reaches the manufacturer the higher 
will be its cost. In recognition of this business truism, the William 
Mann Company draws upon the producer of its raw materials direct, 
purchasing in large quantities and carrying heawy and full lines of 
papers, etc., all procured from the mills. Ascending to the eighth 
floor, where the Paper Stock Room is situated, occupying the entire 
area of 6000 square feet, the visitor finds himself surrounded with 
an extensive assortment of flat papers, employed in the various 
branches of the company's products. Very little, if any, of this 
has been purchased through commission houses or dealers, the rule 
being to buy at first hands and at spot cash prices. The highest 
grades are thus obtained at the lowest market prices, with all dis- 
counts eliminated, and not only is successful competition ensured 
so far as other manufacturers are concerned, but customers are 
retained by receiving the benefit of the economies. The William 
Mann Company has vindicated its ability to unite quality with the 



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lowest price, through the independence of its purchasing policy as 
well as its addition of improved methods. 

This department is at the top of the building, and from its 
windows one commands a vista that is both picturesque and 
suggestive. Looking to the West, an important section of the 
business establishments lying between Fifth Street and the new 
Public Buildings of Philadelphia spreads away at some distance 
below the height. The smoke arising from the numerous chimneys, 
the tall buildings which here and there rear themselves into the 
landscape, and the names which appear upon the sides of the 
various establishments convey forcibly an appreciation of the in- 
dustrial activity of a great city. Towards the Xorth, where the 
adjacent river front of New Jersey stretches along the horizon, are 
some of the extensive manufacturing plants for which Philadelphia 
has won an enviable reputation. Cramp's shipyard is quite dis- 
tinctly seen, and the waters of the Delaware, dotted with white 
sails or smoke-belching steam craft. 

In the process of manufacture, orders are brought up to this 
floor as the initial step, and to each order is carefully apportioned 
the allotted quantity of paper, which is carefully counted out to 
conform with the previous estimate. It then descends with the 
numbered order, which in all else has lost its identity, to lower 
floors, according to the treatment which is to be given it. If it is 
to be ruled for blank-book work, it descends to the Ruling Depart- 
ment upon the seventh floor ; if not requiring such operation, it 
is sent to the Printing Department, as the case ma}- be. It then 
returns for subsequent manipulation. 

Perhaps the two most prominent branches of the manufac- 
turing business carried on by the William Mann Company are 
comprised in the production of blank-books and copying papers. 
All branches proper to the business of manufacturing stationers, 
within broad lines, are incorporated in the various departments of 
the factory. These will be touched upon in the course of descrip- 
tion, but in order that some idea may be gained of the steps taken 



(/, 







in the more important manufactures mentioned it is deemed advis- 
able to tell how blank-books are made and how copying paper is 
converted into book form for distribution to customers. Only the 
operations will be here enumerated ; the way they are carried out 
will receive attention in the proper places. 

In producing a blank-book, the paper is first ruled or printed, 
as the case may be, which is accomplished either in the Ruling 
Department on the seventh floor, or in the Printing Department 
on the second floor. The paper then passes to the fifth floor to 
be folded. If a small lot, folding is done by hand ; if a large lot, 
the operation is done by machine. When folded into sections, the 
paper is made up into books. Waste papers are added, and the 
books are sent to the sewers. Most of the small jobs are sewed by 
hand, while the large ones are handled by machinery, if within a 
certain size and thickness. The books then ascend to the sixth 
floor, to the Forwarding Department, where they are lined with 
muslin. The latter being dry, they are cut on front and then 
glued up. When dried again, the books are rounded, cut on the 
ends, greened and boarded, and (if half-bound) put in leather after 
boarding. They are next sided with cloth, paper, canvas, corduroy, 
and like material, and after drying are sent to finishers, who do 
the lettering in gold and apply the minute details of completion 
and elaboration. The books are pasted up and placed in the press 
to ensure smoothness to the waste papers, as well as solidity to the 
volume. If full-bound, the books are strapped after they have been 
cut and greened. When dried, they are then boarded and patent 
backs are made, consisting of one or two extra tar trunk-boards, 
made for the purpose, according to the thickness of the book. 
Where the book is thick two boards are glued together after being 
formed to suit the curve of the back. Raised bands or hubs are 
then put on, after which the books are put in leather and follow 
the same procedure as the half-bound books. 

Copying paper is converted into bound form upon one floor, 
where all the operations are performed. The thin sheets are cut 



to size, counted and arranged into sections, and sewn into what is 
practically an endless book at an ingenious machine, from the 
product of which a sufficient number of sections are separated to 
form a book of the thickness required. These are bound up into 
books and numbered, or rather paged, with astonishing rapidity. 

Few who use account books or articles of similar utility give 
much thought to the ingenuity and expenditure of skill therein 
embodied. It is hoped that some conception of the latter may be 
had in the visit to departments wherein the actual processes are 
going on. 




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END OF CHAPTER*. 



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'A CHAPTER 

ABOUT THE RULING^ 
DEPARJMENT 






LING, as applied to paper, is a distinct art in 
itself, entirely independent of, although inti 
niately associated with, blank-book making. Ill 
is, moreover, the first process to which paper id 
subjected in producing books wherein record^ 
of income and expenditure, etc., are to be 
kept. As a strictly mechanical process, it requires the niceties 
of delicately adjusted machinery to give best results. As an art 
demanding some chemical and expert knowledge, it requires super- 
vision of an intelligent kind. It is divided into classes, according 
to the character of the lines ruled and the directions thereof. 
Where a ruling is given the paper, which covers it along its entire 
length or width with parallel lines (usually ruled on with pale 
blue ink), the method is known as " faint lining." Where the 
paper is ruled with vertical lines, beginning or terminating at one 
or more definite points on the sheet, the method is called " clown 
lining" or " stopwork." The latter ruling is variously clone in 
dark blue, red or green inks. 



We are now on the seventh floor of the William Mann 
Company's factory, where all the paper-ruling is done. To this 
point are sent the different grades of linen ledger papers from the 
floor above. They are received by the ruler, the condition of their 
edges is carefully examined, and the latter are squared at the 
cutting machine, if that is necessary. Those ruled on one side 
require but two squared edges ; those ruled on both sides require 
three edges to be trimmed. 

Ruling is done, with the general run of job-work, upon pen- 
ruling machines for one side, and the large runs sent to automatic 
machines, technically known as " double-deckers," into which the 
sheet is fed automatically, ruled up-and-down and across by the 
same means, and then reversed and operated on the other side, 
making the process a perfecting one. In pen-ruling machines 
the pens, which are a special device, are carried in a clamp, and 
receive ink from a piece of flannel saturated with the color. At 
each end of the machine are two wooden rollers, around which 
revolves a web of moleskin cloth, a series of cords holding the 
paper where it belongs and feeding it along while being ruled. 
The paper is fed by means of a gauge in front of the machine, so 
that it accurately enters and is borne by the cloth beneath the 
pens, receiving the ruling, and passing 
to the back end of the machine, where 
it is carried by cords to the front 
again. The ruled sheets pass around 
the front roller, are carried by another 
travelling cloth through the machine 
and deposited in a recep- 
tacle, to be jogged up 
by what is known as a 
" lay-boy," which evens 
up the sheets in a pile 
so that the}'' will lay 
uniformly. 




HICKOK. DOUBLE DECKER 

=gg=^ WITH AUTOMATIC FEEDERS 



lEDERS. V) J 



In the old days of handicraft, ruling was done by manual 
means, and the transition from such methods to the wonderful 
automatism of the latest machinery exceeds belief. The " double- 
deckers " employed upon this floor for extensive runs are of the 
most approved pattern, built by an old and enterprising concern. 
As seen in the illustration, the sheets are laid in a huge pile in 
front of this machine, and are fed by an extremely accurate bit of 
mechanism into the machine, sheet by sheet, passing beneath pens 
to receive one ruling, on one side, and then being reversed in their 
travel to receive a ruling on the other side. The capacity of such 
machines are very great, and only the largest runs can be profitably 
handled with them. It is such auxiliaries to production that raise 
the capacity of manufacturing establishments to the amazing extent 
of latter-day consumption. 

Sixteen Hickok ruling machines are located upon the seventh 
floor, under the superintendence of William A. Arnold, who has been 
in the employ of the company for 34 years. It was Mr. Arnold 
who set up and ran the first ruling machine when this company 
began manufacturing in 1864, since which time so many improve- 
ments have been added to conform with the advance of trade. The 
processes in force upon the seventh floor extend beyond paper- 
ruling. Here are stored (as also on the eighth floor) an immense 
quantity of bank checks, belonging to various banks and banking 
houses throughout the United States, and kept in stock for the 
convenience of these establishments. From 
this stock books are ordered for depositors, 
with the names of the latter printed therein. 
Much lower prices naturally 
attend orders in large quantities 
than those where single lots are 
asked for, an advantage which 
banks have not been slow to 
avail themselves of. The pro- 
duction of checks and their 




conversion into book form is a very large branch of industry, and no 
minor portion of the trade is held by the William Mann Company. 
At the last taking of stock, 1,500,000 customers' checks -were tabu- 
lated, and more than 2600 banking concerns recorded as patrons. 
A number of automatic perforators are employed in manipulating 
the printed or lithographed sheets — quite a contrast to the old 
style of perforators, -wherein the weight of a man upon a treadle 
was required to effect the perforations. In these new patterns of 
machines a slight touch upon a treadle releases a pin, which causes 
the depression of the head carrying the perforators to be actuated 
by power. Checks, notes, drafts and kindred blanks are rendered 
detachable from stubs bv such means. Paper-cutting machinery of 
the heaviest and most recent build, as well as machines for folding 
paper and other apparatus, 
are installed to complete the 
equipment of this department, 
wherein paper-ruling, cutting 
and perforating are specialties. 






(ES. 




Ihapter| 





3*&®Q>GQ)®<2jOQ& \ 




NTERING upon the next logical stage of the!' 
operations proper to blank-book making, for 
which we now have our sheets ruled, a 
descent is made to the fifth floor, where the 
principal processes carried on relate to blank- 
book sewing. 

In the process of blank-book work, books to receive printed 
headings are sent to the Printing Departments first of all ; but those 
not to be printed go direct to the folders, and are then made-up. 
The sheets are scrutinized carefully by the operative at this point, 
no finger-marks or stains being permitted, nor any imperfect ruling 
or printing. Folding is a skilled operation, as uniform margins 
must be obtained. When this has been effected, the books are 
counted off and are properly divided. If heavy, small straps of 
muslin are pasted into the first and last several sections of the 
book to give strength, as soon as folding is done. The sheets are 
then left to dry. If the book is to have divisions with lettered 
tabs, these are fastened to the book by two strips of muslin ap- 
plied on either side of the leaf. The sections are next well-rubbed 
down with a tool called a " folding stick," and the heavy books 




„ SMYTH 

Book Sewing Machine. 



i 



pressed to give solidity 
and firmness. Sewing is 
now proceeded with. The 
mode of sewing varies in 
accordance with the style of 
binding determined upon, 
whether "half-bound " or 
" full-bound." Half-bind- 
ings are those with leather 
backs and corners, and the 
sides of other materials, 
such as cloth, paper, etc. 
Full-bindings are those of 
full canvas, or leather, with 
corners of russia leather, 
or ends or bands of the same material ; they also include those where 
" full extra russia " constitutes the appellation. It is unnecessary 
to give the variety of technical classes into which bindings for 
blank-books are grouped ; those given are the broad classifications. 
Before sewing the books end-papers are inserted as leaves both 
at the front and back of the book, and the substantiality of the 
stitch exactly parallels the weight of the book to be unified. The 
larger the book the stronger the sewing. No flimsy catches of 
thread will do here. One of the huge ledgers or registers which 
go out of this establishment to banks and kindred institutions is 
intended for rough handling and constant usage. Everything 
entering into it, whether of material or of handling, must be the 
incarnation of permanency and flexibility. The book must not only 
be impervious to careless treatment ; it must lie open easily and 
flatly. The covers must not warp ; the backs must not crack off 
and split away from the paper ; all attributes must be just so. As 
direct consequences of these requirements, the amount of skill and 
ingenuity which enters into the production of a blank-book of the 
better-class is well-nigh incredible. 




The difference in strengths of blank-book 
sewing resides in the number of bands upon 
which the book is sewn, as well as the 
strength of the tapes and thread employed. 
The object in view must be well kept in 
mind, viz. : that the union of each single part 
must be effected not only among themselves, 
but with relation to the finished book. To 
disregard any one of the processes is to admit an element which 
can never be rectified when its stage has been passed. 

From time to time, as the sections are sewed, they are tapped 
down well with a hammer and rubbed, so that the glue will have 
no difficulty in entering where it belongs. Swell enough is left at 
the back to furnish the spring needed to the bound book. When 
sewn, the slips are tightened, small muslin straps are pasted where 
the end papers join the back, and the books are trimmed at fronts 
and edges. 

The Blank-Book Sewing Department of the William Mann 
Company also contains that half of the bindery which is devoted to 
the " half-bound " work, whereas the " full-bound " work is performed 
on the sixth floor. On the fifth floor is also located a department 
unique in itself, that of leather-cutting, where all of the very 
expensive leather used is cut by 
professionals, whose functions are 
to reduce wastage to the smallest 
possible fraction. Under the old plan, 
each " forwarder" cut his own leather, 
which, with undue haste or careless- 
ness, frequently resulted in great 
waste. As the policy of the company 
is the elimination of the disadvan- 
tages which form so many sinking 
funds for profits in less conservative 
managements, this feature of the trade f at h fd 




has been revolutionized, as well. The plan has resulted in a large 
saving of stock and time, and these it is the aim to place to the 
credit of the customer, who reaps the advantage. 




^ 



Leather^ Cutting^ 



"■» 



In addition to the operations mentioned, the fifth floor is 
equipped for tablet-making, numbering checks and drafts, etc., and 
for binding checks as well. It is practically a department for 
making-up, preliminary to the remaining processes forming a part 
of production. The facilities accordingly partake of this character. 
Wire-stitching and stapling machinery, for side and saddle stitch, 
are employed, as well as machines for sewing, notably the Smyth 
sewing machine, of which an illustration is presented. This re- 
markable piece of mechanism receives the sections of the book, 
sews them together, and sews the tapes to the backs at one opera- 



tion, and feeds them in a continuous book to the back end of the 
machine, where a girl separates the number of sections required. 
The capacity of the machine is governed by the rapidity with 
which it can be fed. 

As checks are wanted, they are turned into this floor for 
binding. Seven rapidl}' running check-numbering machines are 
here kept busy on this kind of work, capable of numbering up to 
six units, and some to seven units, consecutively. There are also 
corner-cutting machines, for cutting out the corners for blank-books, 
folding machines, hydraulic and standing presses, and a remarkable 
little machine for paring down leather as thin as a sheet of tissue 
paper. In this, as in all other departments, it is the aim of the 
management to have the most expert workmen, to permit none but 
the best materials, and to utilize only processes of known value and 
reliability. In blank-book making efficient superintendence is as 
necessary as extreme care. Speed is desirable, but haste is forbidden. 
Each process in the entire chain demands as much caution as any 
other, and when a book is turned out it is as near perfection as skill 
and training can accomplish. A well-made blank-book is in actual 
fact a work of industrial art. Into its production enter decades of 
earnest experiment and invention. Few who use blank-books realize 
this, or, if the}' appreciate the character of the work, keep themselves 

informed as to the 
rapid progress con- 
stantly being made 
in the appliances 
to facilitate it. 





?/. 'NOTWITHSTANDING the indefinite meanings! 
of trade phraseology to the layman, the terms' 
employed in blank-book making are quite simple 
and appropriate. There are two broad processes 
that await ns as we follow the blank-book 
through its various stages, and these are known respectively as 
"forwarding" and "finishing." By the first is meant all opera- 
tions connected with covering the book, putting it between boards, 
etc., etc. It is the series of steps whereby the book is carried 
forward to the point when finishing touches are applied. By 
" finishing " is meant this last chain of operations ; it is the work 
of the artist rather than of the artisan. Here are introduced those 
artistic elements which converts the blank-book into a thing of 
beauty. The " forwarder " then is the handicraftsman who cases 



the book and covers it; the "finisher" is the artist who ornaments 
and completes it. Both processes are carried into effect upon the 
sixth floor of the establishment, and here also it will be remem- 
bered that " full-bound " work is done. A large corps of adepts in 
each branch of the art is employed, beneath whose dexterous hands 
the unshapely masses of sewn paper assume form and comeliness. 
Our blank-book has been sewn ; it must now be forwarded. 
The book, as made-up, is first of all lined-up with muslin, after 
which the front is trimmed. Gluing is the next operation. The 
functions of this very essential manual process is self-evident ; the 
sewn sections must be both firmly and closely united to each 
other, strength being a consideration which no forwarder will dare 
to disregard. When dry, the book is rounded in order to give the 
curvatures at back and foredge. The workman places the book 
upon a solid table or an iron block, and with the fingers of the left 
hand gently urges the foredge towards him, the right hand in the 
meanwhile swinging an implement known as a " bench hammer," 
with which he taps the book along its back until the latter is so 
perfectly rounded that the arc of a pair of compasses equals the 
curve effected, and until the foredge will exhibit a smooth and 
uniform curve with no protruding surfaces. The books are laid 
between boards and subjected to a moderate pressure for some 
hours before the next operation begins. They are cut or trimmed 
at head and tail (the ends), and are ornamented on the edges with 
the color that is desired, green being mostly used in this establish- 
ment. There are three ways of imparting decorative finish to the 
edges of a blank-book : the first of which is " marbling," the second 
" dyeing," and the third, or most expeditious and substantial, the 
operation called a " waxed edge." This latter, which we alone need 
describe, is done by dissolving beeswax over heat, and sprinkling 
it evenly but lightly over the edge to be colored. The color is 
then passed over the edge with a brush or sponge, without regard 
to the spots of wax beneath. After drying, the wax is scraped off 
and by burnishing a brilliant gloss is imparted. We infer that the 



book is to be full-bound, like one of those imposing books of 
account seen in the numerous exhibitions throughout the country 
where the William Mann Company has always been adequately 
represented. The book, being " greened," is next strapped-off on 
the back, and making the " lugs " or " stays " is proceeded with. 
The covers must be prevented from bending in on the book when 
closed, and so it is necessary to effect an elevation between them 
and the book at that point. Accordingly, the workman glues the 
outermost leaf of the book, laps it around and around until the 
folding brings it close to the edge of the back, making a stiff stay 
at that point. This is later on glued between the boards forming 
the cover. 

The forwarder now takes a piece of leather (flesher or split 
goat) and presses it well down on the back, letting it overlap about 
two inches on either side. He glues this plentifully, draws it 
rapidly and tightly over the back, and rubs it down well to ensure 
adhesion. The boards are next applied, already previously cut to 
the proper size and strength in accord Avith the weight of the book 
to be made. The William Mann Company own the rights for the 
best methods of making flat-opening blank-books, whereby a perfect 
writing surface is presented when a book is opened at an}' of its 
parts. These methods it is unnecessary to describe. 

Being trimmed to the proper size, the boaixls are ready for 
use. Patent backs are made — the trade name being "spring 
backs " — by cutting tar trunk-boards the same length of the boards 
for the front and back, letting them be slightly wider than the 
back of the book so as to overlap on either edge. These tar 
boards are moistened with water, subjected to heat and formed to 
suit the curve of the back. They are drawn on the book with a 
piece of canvas after this is done. 

On large ledgers and similar books there are raised projections, 
called " hubs," at the back. These are glued onto the back of the 
book. Russia leather is then put on and well rubbed down, when 
the book is again placed in the standing press. The leather or 




canvas covers are then applied, when the 
book leaves the forwarder to be finished. 
Taking the book, which is yet far 
from complete, the finisher first of all 
trims down the rnssia leather with neatness 
and dispatch, buffing off the flesher with 
powdered pumice to freshen and clean it. 
The black bit of leather to receive the title 
is then cut to fit into the panels between 
the bands and is pasted on. The ornamen- 
tation of the back is now in order. Good 
taste dictates that the decorative scheme 
shall be simple and yet beautiful. It is 
the function of the upper blank to receive 
the designation of the book ; that is, what 
purpose it is intended to conserve. In the 
centre panel appears the year, etc., while the 
panel at the bottom receives the firm name. 
These are stamped on or impressed on by hand, in gold. Russia 
leather on the sides are treated in the same way as the back. The 
tooling is done upon the scale of elaborateness or simplicity desired 
by the customer, who may either wish to have a perfectly plain 
front and back, or covers of more decorative character. There are 
many ways in which geometrical figuring is laid on, and each 
different. Heated rollers enters into almost all of them, a small 
tool being used to impress a section of the decoration if hand- 
tooling is employed. An artist first draws the design, after which 
the finisher interprets it upon the book cover. When finished, the 
blank-book is pasted up to give smoothness to the waste-papers 
and is placed, with its fellows, in the standing press. It is then 
paged, examined by the foreman, and passed down to the shipping 
department. 

The Blank-book Department of the William Mann Company 
is equipped with whatever improvements mechanics or inventors 



have provided. The system tends towards cleanliness and expedi- 
tion. Here, one sees blank-books of every kind and description, 
from the small low-priced account-book for ordinary uses to the 
mammoth register or ledger for use in public institutions, with 
rich russia sides and ornate eold-tooled scheme of decoration. 

o • 

There is no size of book too large for production, the department 
having turned out a register, upon one occasion, weighing 360 
pounds, bound in the finest russia, and embellished with original 
gold-toolings. This volume was exhibited at the Cotton States 
and International Exhibition, and attracted considerable attention, 
both from its massive bulk and beauty. 

A most suggestive process is that of machine-paging, whereby 
a girl can turn out many times the work of a man, under the old 
method of hand-paging. Formerly, the workman was compelled 
to apply each number by a tool, patiently and laboriously going 
through the pages of a huge book until it was separately paged, 
leaf by leaf. Now, the operative merely separates 
the leaves of the blank-book, to permit of the 
passage between two of them of an endless num- 
bering chain carrying the numerals, and by 
working a treadle an impression is made. 

In this department are 
located the very latest machin- 
ery and appliances. There is 
a large steam stamping press, 
doing with dies what was 
formerly done by hand upon 
the covers of inexpensive 
books, and effecting a decora- 
tion thereupon by means of 
heat or scorching; also 
smaller machines for stamp- 
ing titles and sides of smaller 
books. There are hydraulic 



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presses and standing presses, steam 
back-rounding machines for forming 
the curved back already described, 
and machines for cutting and analo- 
gous operations. The old method of 
heating glue with gas or steam has 
also been dispensed with, and electric 
glue pots are employed instead. 

The " finishers " in this depart- 
ment are located at a series of tables 
next the windows on the north side 
of the room, so that they may have 
the best light upon their work ; among 
them are the most skillful workmen 
obtainable in this country. All sup- 
plies are carried in large quantities, 
and the boards for the backs are 
made up a long time ahead, being kept in drying bins so as to 
ensure seasoning. Whatever can make production better, more 
economical and more in accord with the progressive policy of the 
company has been adopted here, as in other departments. 




END OF CHAPTER 



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COPYING BOOKli^SllDEPAUTMENT 



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rTENSB as is the competition which 
characterizes the commercial realms to- 
day, — partly as the result of superior 
mechanical means of production, partly 
as the result of an accurate knowledge 
as to what production costs, — there are 
\Dl T&T jy^fv specialties in which it is minimized. 

Aa Such lines of manufacture enjoy this comparative 
y?' immunity solely because of prior occupancy and a 
possession of certain methods which, at some one point 
of them, are not known. The William Mann Companj'- has been 
manufacturing copying papers for many years, utilizing a con- 
ception originating with the founder of the house and steadily 
improving its means and methods until both a high standard of 
excellence and the lowest margin of cost in producing have 
resulted. This superior economy it has been the policy of the 
house to augment, never departing from whatever could elevate 



the quality of its output, and giving the customer the benefit of 
its improvements. We have seen, while at the mill in Lambert- 
ville where copying papers of all grades are made, the process of 
converting raw materials into the finished sheet of translucent 
paper, or tissue copying. We have now to watch the interesting 
modes of converting the paper, which in turn has become our raw 
material, into bound books of different kinds for use in the trade 
consuming them, — a trade comprising firms, corporations and rail- 
roads in this and other countries. 

Let us leave the Stock Room on the eighth floor, whither we 
revert for a continuous knowledge of the system observed in the 
department before us, and descend to the fourth floor, where we 
shall find ourselves in an immense room, surrounded with piles of 
books in every stage of manipulation. The implements employed 
by skilled handicraft appear ou every side, the steady hum of in- 
dustry making a suggestive accompaniment to the sight of a large 
corps of workmen here engaged. We are practically in another 
bindery, but one where every process and mechanical device bear 
specific reference to the end to be conserved. As the business is, 
in a large measure, original, so the machines bear an analogous 
impress, some of them being of exclusive design employed nowhere 
else. The process is not unlike that with which we have already 
become familiarized. The paper is received from the eighth floor, 
bearing the invariable ensignia of identity in the shape of the 
number given the job, and goes through the operation known as 
" making-up." There are distinctions of terms in technology, as 
elsewhere, and making-up relates to those functions which, in the 
publishing business, begin with " collating." With books printed 
in signatures, the operation of getting them together into unified 
form is called "gathering"; that of affecting their juncture is 
called " collating." " Making-up " is the kindred process where 
books without signatures, as in blank-books, etc., are handled. 

The sections of copying paper, assembled together in sections 
containing a certain number of sheets each, folded once in the 



middle so as to be the approximate size of the book, are sewn by 
the book sewing machines upon this floor, the bands being applied 
at the same time. The amount required for the book is cut away 
from the continuous book forming at the back of the machine, 
when after certain details are attended to the book is rounded and 
cut, then paged and finally bound in the style desired. 

Being devoted exclusively to the production of copying books, 
the fourth floor has been made to conform in all respects to the 
requirements of this branch of manufacturing alone. Hence the 
machinery and appliances have, as before mentioned, a specialized 
character. The sewing machines upon which the books are united 
have been constructed with particular reference to copying-book 
work, and are at once extremelv rapid and ingenious. To watch 
the operative open a section of paper at its fold, lay it in the 
machine, and then touch a treadle which sets into play devices 
that do the balance of the work, is to gain an object-lesson in 
mechanics. By means of the power thus released, the mechanisms 
lift the section beneath a head carrying a series of semi-circular 
needles, each travelling in the direction of its own curve to pass 
through the leaves of paper, effect a stitch, and pass the section 
backwards. The endless 
strip of tape, several of 
which are at the top of 
the machine to be sewn 
upon the back of the 
book as " bauds," is also 
attached in a manner 
somewhat the same, in- 
stead of a needle another 
device being used. It is 
with kindred ingenuity 
that the visitor contacts 
as he stands before the 
long row of paging ma- XJTl^ pAGING A\AC HJNESj P^ 




chines, a partial view of which is shown, with the rapid click of 
the descending numbering heads falling upon his ears and the dex- 
terous fingers of the operatives lifting leaf after leaf to successively 
page them, before his eyes. These machines not only represent an 
exclusive design of the company's, but they ai'e manufactured by 
the latter, as well, being confined to its own plant. 

The terminal view to the chapter is instructive as a comparison. 
Here is an . old style cutter standing side by side with the newest 
of automatic machines, both representing stages of progress attained 
by the same manufacturer. In the machine to the right, the 
hand-labor is still great; in that to the left, merelv adjusting the 
machine and placing the paper in position effects the entire chain 
of subsequent manipulations. One is clamped by devices brought 
into position by turning a hand-wheel ; the other does its own 
automatic clamping. The improvements thus shadowed forth, are 
what constitute the differences in manufacturing between the 
present day and twenty years ago. 



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END of CHAPTEfb 



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EljIfGRB it is possible 'to put into 'operation the 
processes proper to binding, it ^^uently transpires 
.that a job requires a prior treatment in the Printing 
Departments. These are divided into two, , separate' functions, 
and call into continual use an ..extensively equipped plant occupy- 
ing the third and' second floors. ' Upon the third floor/ usurping 
the greater part of .the space, is the Composing Room, of which a 
partial representation affords an idea of its size, and in this de- 
partment are carried a stock of type-faces and display-letter adapted 
to every requirement of jobbing as executed in the establishment. 
The arrangement particularly conserves convenience, and the facili- 
ties in the way of stands, cases, and the hundred-and-one little 
devices that are being daily introduced into the printing business 
to save labor and time, are proof against criticism from the practical 
compositor. In the business of manufacturing stationers, which is 
that followed by the William Mann Company, a department of job- 
work is a necessity. The same careful management as characterizes 










•ViCijr »«...* igji. 



the departments already visited is here apparent, wherever one 
turns. One section of the large room is set apart for a Stereotyping 
Department, in which skilled workmen effect duplicates of such jobs 
as demand long " runs " at the presses, thus saving the type from 
the extreme wear consequent thereupon. To those who are not 
familiar with the process, it is both novel and of interest. The 
composed types, locked up in the chase, come to this department, 
and a matrix is made of papier-mache, etc., from which a cast is 
taken. The molten metal is introduced into the face of the matrix, 
thus forming a plate, which, as the matrix was an intaglio, will 
be in proper relief when shaved down true on the back and blocked 
type-high for use upon the presses. The process is more expedi- 
tious than electrotyping as a means of duplicating printing surfaces, 
the long delays attending the deposit of copper upon the graphited 
surface of the wax impression taken from the types in electrotyp- 
ing requiring hours, where stereotype-casting requires minutes. 

Upon another portion of this floor, occupying one corner of 
the room, is a steam Stamping Department, for doing embossed 
work from dies of every character. Both hand and machine- 
stamping are here executed with machines of approved construction. 
Dies ranging from one inch square to three by eight inches are 
handled with equal celerity. Stamping is an attractive process, 
requiring no little skill where done by hand, and such close imita- 
tion of hand-functions when done by machine that few machines 
have been at all successful. The form of machine employed by 
the William Mann Company was decided upon after careful inves- 
tigation of the merits resident in the several methods devised. 
The machine inks the die, wipes it, effects the impression, and 
restores a fresh wiping surface for the next impression, all accom- 
plished automatically. In hand-stamping, a press resembling one of 
the old time copying presses is employed. The inking has to be 
done by hand, and a peculiar semi-rotary wipe imparted with the 
hand also, prior to the impression. The turn of a lever causes the 
impression to be made. 





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Leaving these departments of Composing, Stereotyping and 
Steam Stamping, and descending to the second floor, we find our- 
selves in an immense department given over entirely to presswork. 
Long lines of cylinder presses, pony presses, flat-bed presses and 
jobbers are here busily engaged in turning out printed matter of 
different kinds. Such presses are used as possess the best 
ascertainable utility for strictly commercial work within certain 
defined lines. Thirteen power presses are kept busy in this de- 
partment, with beds of a size capable of accommodating small as 
well as large forms. Nowhere has improvement in the printing 
business been so rapid and revolutionary as in printing machinery, 
where the discovery of new movements, radical changes in details, 
and better adjustment of parts incessantly tend to increase the 
speed at which sheets can be run, and without any deterioration in 
quality. Large presses are to-day the secret of economic printing, 
and their introduction into establishments doing large quantities 
of work has entirely reversed the traditions which for so long a 
period dominated the art. To keep on a plane parallel with pro- 
gress in printing necessitates revision of plant at frequent and 
periodic intervals. Long before the machinery in a latter-day print- 
ing office is unfit for use, with respect to wear, it is superseded 
by newer machinery, of more scientific nature. It is the policy of 
the William Mann Company to maintain the status of its printing 
plant upon a level not surpassed by the highest known. 




| : L$v large jobjLare printed urnon trie cylinder 
' ^^rresses, while those of leSRr sized sheets^ 
go upon the pony jesses. There i^. great 
deal of printing, however,* in which the 
dimensions of the surface to be impressed uporr*the paper are 
smaller than the capacity of the power presses, and here job 
presses are employed. They also are run by power, but are called 
" jobbers " because of their specific adaptability to the general run 
of diverse printing made up of various " jobs." Fourteen of these 
presses, known as " Gordons," from their maker, are installed upon 
the second floor of the factory, constituting an important branch of 
the Printing Department. Often these are taxed to their utmost in 
keeping up with an influx of work, the volume of which has been 
an increasing factor for many years. 

Upon the second floor, in addition to the twenty-seven presses 
of different styles, is some envelope printing machinery, which, in 
its operation, exhibits some surprising results. So fast do these 
machines run that it is beyond the power of the eye to perceive 
the moment of feeding in the separate envelopes. These latter are 
laid in a pile at the front of the machine, which is small in size, 
but quite complex, and one by one are taken therefrom, fed into 



cv 



the machine beneath a printing device, and then delivered at the 
rear end. The adjustments of such machinery are necessarily 
exact. Should an envelope chance to be placed in the pile with 
its flap-side reversed, the machine will instantly stop without damage 
to the envelope or mechanisms. The capacity is said to run up to 
100,000 envelopes per da)' of ten hours work, which is doubtless 
an expert figure. The average capacity ranges around 60,000, in 
itself a remarkable output for a self-feeding, inking and printing 
machine. 

We have now seen our job carried through all the depart- 
ments of its class, whether ruling, printing, binding, etc., and may 
follow it to the first floor, where the Packing, Shipping and Delivery 
Department commands inspection. Here the goods are received in 
a finished state from the respective departments and given a 
thorough examination by careful and experienced men, after which 
they are marked ready for shipping. In this establishment it is a 
rule to keep as far ahead of demand as is possible. Accordingly, 
a large number of orders are made up in advance of the customer's 
current requirements, and these goods are stored upon the first 
floor. A sheet from every book made is kept on file, with a 
detailed description of lettering, binding and kindred operations, 
and these are numbered to correspond with the order-book and 
with a label pasted in front of the book. The sheets ptfc de 
posited in a fire-proof vault, so 
that the)' can be readily acces- 
sible when the customer desires 
a book duplicated. 

Whatever pertains to pack- 
ing, shipment and delivering is 
entirely confined to the first 
floor, which is the receiving and 
distributing centre of the entire 
establishment. 





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A CHAPTER ABOUT THE 
POWER DEPARTMENT^ 

;<xxx><x>o<><>c><>c><x><^^ 




NOWLBDGE of manufacturing and an 
preciation of the eiements involved 

'^would not be at all complete without a 
description of that department which fur- 
nishes, as it were, the vital energy to run 



the entire immense organism, with its throbbing and complex 
machinery. A factory of any kind is like a human monster, 
taking into its capacious stomach surprising quantities of raw 
material and digesting and assimilating it in harmonious accord 
with the requirements of its circulation. The power which keeps 
the great machine going lies in the basement of the building at 
the corner of Fifth and Commerce Streets. A portion of this subter- 
ranean department is devoted to waste-paper bins, which receive 
the cuttings and other refuse material of the floors above. Here 
is also stored the binders' boards, used in such large quantities in 
making the covers of blank-books. From twenty-five to thirty 
tons of the material are kept on hand, to supply what is a con- 
stant demand. These boards are cut to regular sizes, for seasoning 
prior to use, in this part of the building, special cutting machinery 




^PART VIEW OF BOILER ROOM "^ fc fi 



being provided for the purpose of a construction massive enough to 
resist the strain entailed in handling material of such tough and 
resisting character. 

The remainder of the basement, which extends out into the 
street beneath the pavement on the two environing streets, is 
devoted to the Power Department and Lighting Plant, which it 
has been the aim to make as perfect and complete as modern 
engineering would permit. Two sets of B. & W. Boilers, located 




^ SWITCH-BOARD FOR ELECTRIC LI GHTS. r 

J <-' u 

beneath the side-walk, are used, either of which has capacity to 
run the entire plant. The coal is weighed as it is delivered, and 
then deposited upon a level with the boiler-room floor. A Green 
engine of 120 horse-power furnishes the manufacturing departments 
with all the power required in running their machinery. For 
heating, however, a special engine is employed, used for that purpose 
alone. The pure air is drawn through a duct from above the roof 
(120 feet above the street), is then heated by steam pipes and 



forced through the building by a large blower, run by the source 
mentioned. The ventilation is thus rendered as perfect as sanita- 
tion could demand, and life in the workshops becomes pleasurable 
rather than burdensome, as it was under the stuffy and impure 
conditions formerly generated in factories. 

For lighting the building, two S. & H. 6oo-light dynamos are 
used, one of which is driven by a belt from the power shaft, while 
the other is directly coupled to an engine of 60 horse-power capa- 
city. Machinery for elevators, pumps for the water supply, and 
pumps for fire purposes absorb the balance of the space. 

A conspicuous and artistic feature of the lighting equipment 
is a switchboard, of imposing proportions and beautiful finish. 
Made of marble, handsomely framed in oak, it stands upon an 
enamelled brick foundation, affording ready access. The illumina- 
tion of each floor, stairway, and fire escape is under direct control 
from this point. 

The entire steam plant, both of the factory and of the main 
building at No. 529 Market Street, is under the direction of the 
Chief Engineer, M. McSorley, who has been in the employ of the 
company for twenty-six years, and from whom an efficient corps 
of assistants is provided. 



At the outset of the chapters comprising this little book, the 
writer proposed not so much to give a recital of bare details as to 
carry the reader with him in a practical talk about the different 
stages of manufacturing in which the William Mann Company is 
engaged. It has been the aim to combine some adequate know- 
ledge of broad processes with a description of an establishment in 
which those processes are carried to completion. Any method of 
treatment less impersonal would have been equally distasteful to 
the editor as well as the publishers, whose desire is solely to 
present this little work as a testimonial of their regard to those 



with whom they have business dealings. With the kindest wishes 
from them to the recipients of the book, and a parting hope that 
the record made by " Fifty Years of Progress " will be regarded 
as a warrant for greater ad- 
vancement in decades yet to 
come, the publishers extend a 
warm farewell to all and bring 
these pages to a conclusion. 



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END OF 



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